


You think you’re tough but you're so... tender

by Wino_Earp



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: EFA Fic Challenge 2020, F/F, High School AU, Metric system because Canada, Mutual Pining, TW: Homophobia, Trailer park!Nicole, tw: bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25731607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wino_Earp/pseuds/Wino_Earp
Summary: Nicole has had a crush on Waverly Earp for almost two years. They see each other at school and at the donut shop where the redhead works, but they never exchanged more than a few words. Nicole knows she’d never make the first move, assuming the brunette would never want to date an outcast like her. Sometimes, all it takes to change the course of events is a little bit of bravery and a punch in the face.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 29
Kudos: 248





	You think you’re tough but you're so... tender

**Author's Note:**

> And immense thanks to my friend Carolyn who was kind enough to proof-read this fic, and thanks to anyone taking the time to read it. Hope you'll enjoy. Read more fic!

Nicole passed the chain through the front wheel, then the frame of her mountain bike, and attached a padlock to it. The thing was ugly, mostly made of spare parts and with enormous tires, but it saved her the seven kilometers walk from the pigsty she lived in to her high school. Not that she wasn’t a serious walker but she couldn’t afford to waste much time between places with her crazy daily schedule. Most days, between her classes, her shifts at the donut shop, her chores and her homework, she was content if she could get five or six hours of sleep. In another dimension she would’ve had caring parents with decent jobs, lived in a real house and owned a car, but obviously not in this one. In this one she only knew the constant struggle of sharing a trailer with her addict of a mother who couldn’t keep a job to save her life.

In the parking lot, a few hundred meters from her, the ballet of rich kids’ cars had already begun. Sometimes it reminded her how much she despised her life, but some days like today, she was quite relieved not to look like them. She snorted watching Stephanie Jones struggling to park her cherry red convertible. _Seriously, a convertible, in Purgatory? A town where it snows nine months a year?_ In the distance she recognized Champ Hardy’s brand new shiny truck arriving and unconsciously ground her teeth. The guy was a jock. A jock and a joke. Despite Nicole’s attempts at being invisible, he and his group of friends had bullied her since her first day in Purgatory High, almost two years ago. It wasn’t the mean shoves into the lockers or the insults that made her so bitter though, but the fact he had dated a certain girl a few months back.

She spotted Waverly Earp’s red jeep already parked in her usual spot and sighed dreamily. Of course Waverly had arrived early for one of her many extracurricular activities. Waverly was Nicole’s secret crush, as smart as she was pretty, and pretty she sure was. Honey brown hair for days, laughing eyes and a smile that made Nicole weak in the knees. Even if she barely knew her, Nicole would have given everything for the girl to notice her. Every time the brunette went to the donut shop for her regular soothing sunshine herbal tea and a vanilla flavoured treat, Nicole’s face would hurt for the rest of the day from smiling too hard. There was just something special about this girl. Many things actually. Way too many to count. All Nicole knew for sure is she could feel butterflies flutter in her stomach every time she caught a glimpse of the petite girl in the halls, or heard her enthusiastic voice when she’d answer a question in class. But a girl like Waverly could never like a girl like her. Even with Purgatory’s limited dating options, she’d rather go out with a dumb cocky jock like Champ Hardy. Life was unfair like that.

With this sad thought still in mind, Nicole made her way to the main building.

*************

After the second period, Nicole was heading to her math class when she overheard Champ Hardy’s stupid voice babbling about girls’ breasts in a derogatory manner. The boy was leaning against his open locker, surrounded by his usual posse of jocks. Just as she passed by them, he was gesturing like he was grabbing boobs and she caught his next words more clearly:

“Her butt‘s not as great as her sister’s but man, Waverly has such cute titties, you know. The kind you just wanna pinch and play with-”

Nicole immediately stopped in her tracks and turned around. She punched Champ’s locker shut, startling both the boy and his audience.

“You should consider shutting your big mouth now, Hardy!” she warned him. Champ huffed.

“Yeah? And maybe you should mind your own business, tramp,” he laughed. His friends immediately mimicked him, like some well-trained monkeys.

“You talking shit about Waverly is my business!” she retorted without thinking any further.

“Because what, you two are not even friends?” he said, crossing his arms on his chest. Nicole bit the inside of her cheek not to give any more hint, but couldn’t retain the reflex gasp her throat produced. _Crap!_ Hardy’s eyes widened.

”Oh, I get it now. You’ve got the hots for her, uh? Well, that’s disgusting!” He pointed his index finger just in front of her nose, so close it made her squint.

“Shut your mouth, Champ!”she warned again, slapping his meaty hand.

“Or what, what are you gonna do, exactly? You’re gonna stop me, uh?” he asked as he pushed her shoulder. Nicole didn’t move.

“You think you’re tough,” he continued, “but you’re so… tender. Yeah, you’re so fucking tender.”

“What? What does that even mean, Hardy?!”

“Means I’m gonna kick your ass if you don’t move, freak!”

He pushed her a second time. Any other day she would have shrugged it off and walked on to her next class. But not today. Today the slanders weren’t directed at her only, but at Waverly. Sweet, perfect Waverly Earp. So she pushed him back.

From the moment Champ’s fist landed on her cheek, she knew she was going to sport a shiner and a massive bruise on half of her face for a few days. _Shit, her face was her best asset!_ Like on auto-pilot, her hand balled into a fist which she threw to the boy’s nose. The hit produced a disgusting crack noise and the boys around squealed like little girls.

_Who knew she had such a mean hook?_

Champ covered his face with both his hands and yelled: “She broke my nose, this bitch broke my frickin nose!”

Nicole stared blankly as blood started to drip through Champ’s fingers. She failed to notice Hardy’s friends’ arms gripping hers, restraining her movements. Champ took advantage of her new position to kick her in the stomach. That hurt. The boy was about to kick her again, fortunately Principal Moody must have heard the fuss or seen the small crowd now gathered around them because he shouted at Champ to stop if he didn’t want to be expelled. Nicole, who at this very moment was charging like a bull in an attempt to free herself, did not expect to have her arms released so soon, and crashed to the ground on her right knee. That hurt even more. She lay there with her hands around her leg for a couple of minutes before she could stand up. Scanning the bystanders around, she thanked the Great Goddess that, at least, Waverly Earp didn’t witness what just happened.

She spent the next period in the principal’s office and in the infirmary. Principal Moody gave her detention and Nurse Perley gave her some pain killers and an anti-inflammatory cream to put on her swollen knee. Once the adrenaline was gone, the physical pain as well as the embarrassment quickly kicked in. She had outed herself. Maybe not exactly _outed_ , but she had made her crush on Waverly very obvious to a bunch of teenagers hungry for gossip. This was definitely worse. Soon, Waverly would hear the rumor that she had beat the shit out of her ex-boyfriend and she’d start acting awkward around Nicole. Waverly was the only solace of her schooling at Purgatory High, maybe of her whole life in this town, and losing that was a frickin tragedy. The mere possibility of seeing the brunette was what gave her a reason to wake up each morning. What did she have apart from that? An old couch in a poorly insulated trailer, second hand clothes, a job that left her smelling like a greasy pastry, dreams of not being anything like her parents when she grows up? But again, life was unfair like that.

*************

Unsurprisingly, the day dragged on. At lunch and in every class, Nicole kept her head low, lower than usual if that was even possible. It didn’t prevent her from seeing the gazes upon her and from hearing the murmurs everywhere she went. The few months left before graduation were going to be very, very long.

When the bell rang to announce the end of this disastrous day, Nicole quickly packed her notebook and pens, and limped toward the bicycle rack outside. She froze as soon as she spotted Waverly Earp next to her antique bike. She wondered how the brunette had guessed which one was hers. Oh yeah, it was the worst looking one, that’s how. _Shit!_ She wasn’t expecting a confrontation with the Earp girl so soon. Or at all.

“Hey,” she waved as Nicole approached the rack, “I thought you could use a ride home.”

“Hi, Waverly,” she waved back awkwardly. “That’s very nice of you but I’m fine.”

“Nicole, you’re limping and I can see through the hole in your jeans that your knee is still swollen.” Nicole dropped her gaze on her poor looking knee. _Dammit, it was her best pair of jeans! Had been._

“You defended my honor from what I heard, so let me at least drive you home,” Waverly continued. As much as Nicole could feel her knee and her cheekbone throbbing with pain, the mere thought of her crush finding out the filthy and stinky place she lived sent a cold shiver down her spine. _No frickin way_.

“It looks worse than it actually feels, so really, I’m fine. How… How do you even know what happened?” she asked.

“One of the guys, Kyle York, told Chrissy Nedley, and Chrissy hasn’t be able to keep a secret from me since preschool.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t do it for your honor in particular,” she lied. “I would have done that for any girl, you know. It’s a matter of principle. Because I’m a feminist. So thanks but you don’t owe me anything, Waverly, I’m just gonna ride slowly and it’ll be okay.” The rambling made the smaller girl smile softly.

“Hey, it’s no big deal, the trailer park is kind of on my way home, anyway.”

_Wait. What?_

Nicole felt a wave of panic overcome her. Her throat suddenly became super tight, like she was choking. This was too big, she couldn’t breathe, let alone talk anymore. Waverly frickin perfect Earp knew she lived in a dump. Like this day couldn’t be more nightmarish than it already was! Noticing her sudden paleness and ragged breathing, the brunette asked: “Nicole, are you okay?” She grabbed the redhead’s arm and started to stroke it in a soothing way. The taller girl took a long breath to try and calm herself.

“How… how do you know where I live?” she stuttered.

“Oh. Remember when you came to work at the McCready’s ranch last summer? You filled a form with your contact information and, well, I help my uncle with his paperwork from time to time. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy, I just happened to recognize your name, that’s all. I didn’t tell anybody if that’s what worries you.”

“Curtis is your uncle?” Waverly nodded. “Yeah, he and Gus raised me. I thought you knew,” she shrugged.

“I heard you lived with your aunt and uncle, didn’t know it was the McCreadys. I never saw you at the ranch, and I’m an outsider here, so I don’t have many people to teach me Purgatory’s ins and outs.”

“I spent the whole summer working at a summer camp in Banff, that’s why you didn’t see me home. I think I could do that, teaching you Purgatory’s ins and outs, I mean. I’ve lived here all my life so... Why don’t you put your bike in my trunk and I’ll give you your first lesson of Purgatory 101?” She smiled and Nicole felt defenseless against her pleas. She was still in shock but it seemed she could breathe more easily now. The McCreadys had been really nice to her in the time she’d worked at the ranch. The fact that these more than decent people raised Waverly was somehow reassuring, and anyway, what more did she have to hide now? She passed a hand through her hair to help her think of her next move.

“Okay. Just, give me a minute to remove the chain,” she requested.

After the bike was freed, they walked together to Waverly’s Jeep. Once the bike was loaded in the trunk, Nicole climbed in the passenger side of the jeep. The petite girl started the engine and they left the parking lot without a word. After a couple of minutes of silence, Nicole cleared her throat and asked shyly: “So, you don’t think I’m a tramp?”

“What? No, of course I don’t! Seriously, Nicole, do you know anything about the Earps?”

“Not really, no,” she shook her head.

“That’s almost refreshing, I sometimes have the feeling that everyone in Purgatory knows the story of my family better than I do,” she marked a pause. “Well, I guess you’d better learn it from me than from some stranger. Long story short, my mom left when I was four because my dad was a violent drunk, a drunk who accidentally killed himself and my big sister. Willa was the eldest, she was only thirteen. I was six at the time, that’s when Gus and Curtis took me in and I’m so glad they did because they’re so much better people than my real parents. My other sister, Wynonna, the accident totally wrecked her. Willa and she were very close in age, and after what happened she spent most of her teenage years in juvie before she was old enough to leave and follow a gang of bikers. I haven’t seen her in two years,” she sighed. The retelling left the redhead speechless.

“So Nicole, do you really think I have any right to be judgmental towards you or anyone else?”

“I’m sorry, Waverly. I had no idea,” Nicole answered, nervously rubbing her palms on her jean-clad thighs.

“And now that you know, do you think less of me?”

“No, absolutely not! If anything, I’m impressed by the person you’ve become despite the start in life you got.”

“We don’t get to choose our family, right? And it’s the same for me, I don’t know your parents or your story, but I can see how hard you work to get out of your current situation. I see how you take all the small jobs you can find in town and still manage to get good grades. You don’t whimper about your fate, you fight for what you want, and I think it’s really brave.”

“You think I’m brave?” Nicole asked, surprised. Not only had her absolute crush noticed her, but she thought she was brave. She couldn’t help but grinning from ear to ear in spite of the throbbing pain in her cheekbone.

“I do. You know, most of the kids in our school, they are peaking right now, and in a few months after we graduate, it’s all gonna be over. The real world doesn’t need jocks and cheerleaders. But you, Nicole Haught, you’re going to do important things, I know it. I don’t know what career you want for yourself but I’m sure you’re going to nail it.”

Nicole had the idea of pinching herself to check she wasn’t dreaming, but quickly remembered several parts of her body were already hurting, so there was no use.

“It’s not a cruel joke, right?” she questioned. “Because this morning again, I wasn’t sure you knew my name, and now you’re, like, complimenting me?”

“Don’t let your head grow too big but, I kinda think you’re cool, Haught.”

“Wow. This isn’t how I thought this day was going to go,” the redhead beamed, dimples showing on each cheek.

“And of course I know your name! I’ll let you know, Nicole Haught, that you are quite noticeable with your height and fiery hair. Quite the uncommon look. Plus, you may or may not be my favourite barista at the donut shop. Seriously, why do you think I stop by at least thrice a week?”

“For the vanilla dipped donuts?”

“Yes that too. But those are not mutually exclusive!” They both laughed heartily, and all the previous tension evaporated. The air seemed lighter inside the car’s cabin now, and Nicole was on cloud nine.

“It doesn’t feel real. Waverly Earp, head cheerleader, soon-to-be valedictorian, talking to me and driving me home. Are you sure Champ didn’t put me in a coma and I’m dreaming all this?” she gestured between them.

“I don’t think he’s that strong. He’s the one who ended up with a broken nose, remember? And there’s nothing inconceivable here, Nicole. Gosh, I spent the last two years roaming around the donut shop and eating more pastries than is reasonable to try and get to know you! But you never shared more than five words in a row with me, so I just assumed you weren’t interested. Before today I was pretty sure you didn’t like me. I even dated Champ out of desperation, for Christ’s sake! If not for this stupid fight I would have probably spent the next years getting fat, eating so many donuts for very little results.” She slapped both her hands on the steering wheel but giggled nonetheless.

“And here I was starting to think you had low blood sugar levels,” Nicole rolled her eyes incredulously. “Are you trying to say you like me, Waverly Earp?” _Did she say that out loud? When did she become so bold?_

“Maybe. I think you’re special. You’re something else, Nicole, you’re…” she paused, focused on choosing the right word.

“Tender? That’s what Champ said before he hit me. ‘You think you’re tough but you’re so tender!’”

“Did he?! No that’s not what I was going to say but, for once, he wasn’t that wrong,” she chuckled.

“I’m not tender,” Nicole said, shaking her head.

“If it helps you sleep at night, Haught,” she patted the redhead’s thigh.

When the trailer park came into view, Nicole wished she could stay in the jeep forever. Waverly stopped the car a few feet from the trailer park’s entrance. Waverly, her crush, who admitted to liking her. This turn of event was definitely unexpected. Now, she had to act as brave as Waverly thought she was. She had gone too far today to just give up now. _Come on, Haught, It_ _’s now or never._

“So, I was thinking, maybe you’d like to hang out, sometimes. You know like…”

“Like a date?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, if you want to-”

“Gosh, I thought you’d never ask!” Waverly exclaimed. Nicole let out a relieved sigh. “Gimme your phone, I’ll put my number in it so you can text me about it.” Nicole put her hand in her pocket to retrieve the device, but stopped before taking it out.

“Hum, the screen is a little bit cracked on the corner-”

“I don’t care about that, Nicole,” she cut her off. “I don’t care about your phone, your clothes, where you live or whatever. I just want to get to know _you_ , okay?” The redhead nodded and handed the phone with a smile. Waverly quickly typed her name and number, and handed it back. Before Nicole could open the passenger door, the brunette leaned to kissed her bruised cheek. The taller girl hissed between her teeth.

“Sorry. Still tender, uh?” Waverly asked.

“Yes, but please, not that word. Like ever again,” she said with the biggest grin ever.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this and want to stay in touch I'm @wino_earp on Twitter. If you didn't and want to scream at me I'm still @wino_earp on Twitter.


End file.
